This invention relates to a method of making alkali metal alcoholates by reacting an alkali metal chloride with an alcohol under the influence of direct current. In particular, it relates to a method of making sodium methylate in an electrolytic cell from sodium chloride and methanol.
Sodium methylate is an intermediate in the production of certain pharmaceuticals. Presently, it is made from sodium amalgam in a mercury cell where mercury is the cathode and the electrolyte is sodium chloride. However, this process can result in the contamination of the product and the environment with mercury.
Sodium methylate can also be made by reacting metallic sodium with methanol. This reaction, however, is difficult to control and can be extremely violent and occasionally even explosive.